Charges against Ex-Dolphin dropped

Mark Walton, the former Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes running back, is no longer facing a domestic violence charge that put his NFL career in jeopardy.

His Fort Lauderdale-based attorney Michael A. Gottlieb said Broward County prosecutors decided to drop the charge of aggravated battery of a pregnant woman after months of investigating. Gottlieb said he hopes Walton, who is an NFL free agent, can resurrect his football career.

“If you know and understand his story, he grew up in a hard area of Miami without a true father figure. And he’s been lost at times in life. But he’s got a unique ability and the opportunity to share a skill with the world,” Gottlieb told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“I’d love to see him have that opportunity and have some positive direction in his life. I hope that he gets picked up by a team.”

Walton, 23, is still subject to further league discipline if he signs with another NFL team, according to ESPN and NFL Network.

Walton, who was released by the Dolphins in November following his fourth arrest, was accused of pushing his pregnant girlfriend against a wall and punching her several times in the face and head, causing swelling on her left eye. He was made aware of the pregnancy two days prior to his arrest, according to the police report. The alleged victim also is the mother of his three-year-old daughter.

The second-degree felony charge could have resulted in up to 15 years in prison.

The incident took place on Nov. 19, 2019 — while he was serving a four-game NFL suspension for violating the league’s conduct and substance abuse policies that stemmed from three separate arrests earlier in 2019.

Walton was facing a felony charge for carrying a concealed weapon he owned, and misdemeanor charges for marijuana possession, reckless driving and resisting a police officer without violence following a March 2019 incident in Miami. He was able to get those charges reduced in court.

Walton was also charged with misdemeanor battery for a fight that involved him taking a phone from a neighbor at his Brickell condo in February 2019, and faced a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge for a January 2019 arrest. Both of those charges were dismissed.

Despite the off-field issues, the Dolphins signed Walton after a tryout in May 2019. Walton, who played at UM from 2015-17, rushed for 201 yards on 53 carries in seven games with the Dolphins last season.

Walton attended Booker T. Washington High School in Miami before finishing his Hurricanes career with 2,006 yards and 28 total touchdowns.

Walton